Do you rebound after setbacks or get devastated? If you believe you can get smarter and improve in your industry, than you will believe that effort and setbacks makes you stronger and you are therefore more willing to put in extra time and effort to achieve your goals. So how do you get into this mindset?
1. Acknowledge and embrace imperfections
If you are human, you WILL have weaknesses. However, if you embrace them and work to learn from them you will be able to overcome them and be even more successful.
2. Try changing up how you learn
We all learn in different ways, but are you certain that how you are going about it is the best way for you? There are many different learning strategies whether you like to focus on one task very intently for a period of time, or you want to switch between ideas while you study, or you need concrete examples for specific ideas, figure out what works for you and your employees.
3. Stop making approval your number one goal
We all like to be affirmed that we are doing a good job, but you will never be able to please everyone. Prioritize learning over approval in order to maximize your chances of growing.
4. Cultivate a sense of purpose
This is crucial for an entrepreneur looking to grow. Carol Dweck performed a study on students and concluded that if you are in a growth mindset (if you BELIEVE that you can grow and aren’t set up a certain way and are static as a result) you will thrive on challenges and see failures as a springboard for growth and a chance to stretch our existing abilities. Dweck’s research also stated that students with a growth mindset had a greater sense of purpose.
5. Take ownership over your attitude
My cross country coach used to always say “today is a great day to run!” It could be -10 with a heavy wind and he would tell us as we bundled up, “today is a great day to run!” This is important in all aspects of life, but especially when you are trying to cultivate a growth mindset. OWN IT! Tell yourself that you have a growth mentality and proudly let it guide you as you learn new things.